Telephone index



I 1,535,843 J. M con/1A5 Y v TELEPHONE INDEX Filed March 27, 1924 April28, 1925.

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Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

1 UNITED STATES JESSE MoCOlVIAS, OF LOS ANGIE-LES, CALIFORNIA.

TELEPHONE INDEX.

Application filed March 27, 1924. Serial No. 702,407.

mitter and consisting of a metallic body adapted to be clamped betweenthe telephone transmitter and the mouthpiece, so as to he held inconvenient position for the user of the telephone, and provided with aplurality of tabs and cards upon which information and advertisementsmay be printed, together with a conveniently arranged index of names andtelephone numbers in alphabetical order.

Other objects may appear as the description of my invention progresses.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a preferred embodiment of mydevice, subject to modification within the scope of the appended claimswithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a face view of a telephone with my improved index mountedthereon in po sition for use.

Fig. 2is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the index. holder.

My improved device includes a holder ll formed of a single piece of thinsheet metal, adapted to be stamped or pressed into the form shown in.Fig. 3, held on a telephone in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Theholder includes a main base portion 1 with a right angularly extendedarm 2 which has a semi-circular cut 3 in the end thereof arranged to fitunder the outer portion of the mouthpiece M, and over the extendedportion 6 of the face i of a telephonetransinitter R, so that when themouthpiece M is tightly screwed into place on the transmitter R theportion 2 of the holder will be firmly held between the portion of thetransmitter and the inner shoulder of the mouthpiece M. When the holderis properl y positioned on the telephone, the portion 2 is preferablyhorizontally disposed, while the portion 1 is vertically disposed.

A plurality of elongated vertical cuts 4, etc., are formed in theportion 1 of the holder by means of dies or otherwise, so that thematerial cut from the portion 1 may be formed into clips as at 5, 5,etc, which are first formed into loops 6, 6, etc., extending forwardlyfrom the front surface of the holder and thence rearwardly as at 7, 7etc., to a point substantially in the plane of the portion 1 of theholder, and thence upwardly as at 8, 8, etc in the plane of said portion1.

The clips 5, 5, etc, are so formed that the portions 7, 7, etc., thereofare substantially spaced from the upper edge 9 of the holder.

The holder as shown and adapted to removably hold in position aplurality of index cards or tabs as at 10, 10, etc., which have a widthsubstantially corresponding to the portion 1 of the holder, and

between which sheets of paper of suitable thickness may be held forcarrying the names and telephone numbers, the character or form of thesesheets being immaterial to my invention.

The index cards 10, however, and the sheets held therebetween areprovided with apertures 11, '11, etc, near the upper edges which arespaced to correspond to and are adapted to receive the clips of theholder.

As shown in Fig. 1, the index cards vary in length and are preferablyarranged so that the outermost card is substantially of the length ofthe portion 1 of the holder, while the inner cards are of successivelygreater length, so that a narrow portion of each of the index cards willbe visible from the front of the device for providing an alphabeticalindex and for listing certain information which appears on the interiorof the index in sheets held therebetween. This is clearly illustratedinFig. 1, and it will be observed by reference thereto thatadvertisements may be conveniently arranged on the front faces of thecards 10. while information relating-to domestic and foreign postage,money order rates, calendars and other information may be placed on thebacks of said cards, which will be visible when. the cards are turned uinvardly, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2. Also, the cards areadapted to be turned up wardly for rendering a desired card index oftelephone numbers visible, as indicated by the alphabetical notations onthe lower ends of the cards 10.

The form of the clips 5 is such that when described is ill) one or moreof the carts and sheets are turned upwardly. shown in Fig. 2, the cardswill be held in a rearwardly inclined plane by means of the cngagen'ientof the upper edges 9 of the cards with the inner sides o'l the portions(3 of clips 5, while lower portions of the cards will rest against theupstanding portions 8 of said clips.

To the end that suitable numbers of the cards 10 and information sheetsmay be thus held, the loops (5 are extended upward ly of th face of theholder "for a distance corresponding to the sum of the thicknesses ofthe cards and sheets held therebetween, so that the cards may rest uponthe horizontal portions 7 of the clips and against the portions 6 and 8thereof.

It will be understood that the telephone transmitters R are usuallymounted on a suitable stand S in the case of desk telephones, and onboxes in the case of wall telephones, but in all events the transmittersR are extended sufficiently so that tliere is ample room for the indexand holder shown in the drawings and described herein.

It will also be understood that the character oi the telephonetransmitters R and mouthpieces M dill'er in many cases, and I maymodifiy or change the form of the arm 2 of the holder and the cut 3 inthe end thereof so as to conform to andadapted to be firmly held on theface t or the portion 6 of a transmitter R,

It will be observed that I have provided a compact, convenient andeconomical form oi, index which is readily attachable to and detachablefrom an ordinary telephone transmitter without injuring the same orinterfering with the use thereof, and the holder H being made of sheetmetal affords a substantially rigid surface whereby notations may bemade on the sheets between the index cards during the progress Off atelephone connnunication.

Yfhat 1 claim is:

l. A telephone index including a holder integrally formed oi sheet metaland having a vertically extended portion and a horizontally extendedportion "formed in thesame plane, aid horizontal portion being adaptedfor attachment to a telephone transmitter, and said vertical portionhaving elongated cuts m'ade therein with the material from said cutsformed into narrow strips and bent upwardly and thence forwardly andrearwardly, forming loops and supporting por--- tions for holding aplurality of index cards in operative and inoperative position thereon.

2. A telephone index comprising a holder integrally formed of sheetmetal and adapted for attachment to a telephone transmitter, said holderhaving clips formed therefrom and extended forwardly thereof. and thencerearward'ly and upwardly, said rearwardly extended portions beingsubstan tially spaced from the upper edge of the holder, as and for thepurpose described.

3. A telephone index comprising a holder integrally formed of sheetmetal and adapted for attachment to a telephone transmitter, said holderhaving clips formed therefrom and extended forwardly thereof, and thencerearwardly and upwardly, said reary mrdly extended portions beingsubstantially spaced from the upper edge of the holder, and a pluralityof index cards arranged to hold sheets of paper therebetwecn and carriedon said clips.

4. A telephone index comprising a holder integrally formed of sheetmetal and adapted for attachment to a telephone transmitter, said holderhaving clips formed therefrom and extended forwardly thereof, and thencerearwardly and upwardly, said rearwardly extended portions beingsubstantially spaced from the upper edge of the holder, and a pluralityof index cards ar ranged to hold sheets of paper therebetween andcarried on said clips, the lower portions of said clips serving to holdsaid cards and said sheets in inoperative position, and the upperportions of said clips serving to hold the same in operative position.

5. A telephone index including a holder formed of fiat sheet metal andprovided with a semi-circular cut in one edge thereof, whereby saidholder may be clamped be tween the telephone transmitter and mouthpiece,means "for supporting a plurality o'l inlcx cards on the upper portionof said holder, said means being arranged for holding said cards inposition above the holder for rendering the inner sides of said card.visible for use.

JESSE MCCOMAS.

lVitnesses LUTHER L. MACK. lnnxn BnnnN.

